Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester will be presenting an interactive exhibition at Highcross Leicester on 25 and 26 June. Scientists will be discussing their research using games and video animations including how the drug discovery process works; how to identify different types of tumour cells; 3D images demonstrating the power of state of the art microscopy and a printed copy of the human genome.

The event forms part of the inaugural MRC Festival of Medical Research, taking place from 18 to 26 June 2016, which sees Medical Research Council units, centres and institutes showcasing their research through events and activities around the UK.

The MRC invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as the invention of MRI scanning and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms.